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Enchanted Posted 17 years ago
Grammar

We'd say...

Good evening:

I am reading an article about Reese Witherspoon.
She said she was raide in Nashville and was taught by her parents to repect her elders. and then she said :"we'd say things like 'Yes, ma'am' or 'no, sire' to adults ".

Why is we'd(would is the word i assume) used here? does it mean polite, same as "I would like to..." or something else? a little more explanation would be appreciated.

thanks,

Ench
  

Top answer

We'd = we would. 'Would' here is used to report past tradition or habit; it is similar to the use of 'used to'. When I was a boy I would play hooky every Friday.

— Mister Micawber

  • We'd = we would.
  • 'Would' here is used to report past tradition or habit; it is similar to the use of 'used to'.
  • When I was a boy I would play hooky every Friday.
  • When I was a boy I used to play hooky every Friday.
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3 Answers
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We'd = we would. 'Would' here is used to report past tradition or habit; it is similar to the use of 'used to'.

When I was a boy I would play hooky every Friday.
When I was a boy I used to play hooky every Friday.
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I'm surprised to see that she was in the habit of saying "no, sire". In the UK, "sire" is a very old-fashioned word. Is that something that someone of her generation raised in Nashville might have been taught? Or should it be "no, sir"?
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that was a typo, should be Yes, sir.
thanks,
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